


Just a Lab Assistant, Not a Freaking Avenger

by rubberduckiejr



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-29 00:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckiejr/pseuds/rubberduckiejr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis is just a freaking assistant. Clarification: Jane’s assistant. And supposedly only in the lab. So, how the hell is she roped into doing Tony’s bidding, organizing Phil’s paperwork, and making sure Bruce gets his peppermint tea whenever he’s in a stressful environment? Oh, right. Because it’s the freaking Avengers. How can she say no? Plus, on top of that, she’s expected to teach a certain supersoldier all about modern pop culture. That part isn’t so bad, if she can quit drooling over him long enough to explain the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. And on top of that, something is going on with her family and nothing—I repeat nothing—will ever be the same for the girl who tased a god.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> Originally from Tumblr. This story is just a bunch of random ideas I’ve had for a while now that decided it needed to be tangible as text on a screen. Honestly, this is just what I wish Marvel would do with Darcy. She could be a pretty damn awesome character if given a decent storyline and character development. On top of that, this is kind of my headcanon I have for since we don’t get much info on her past that is MCU certified canon.
> 
> In other words, welcome to what my messed up brain concocted.

“Holy shit,” was the first thing out of Darcy’s mouth when the car crawled out of Lincoln Tunnel. New York was spread out in front of them, as far as the eye can see. Brick buildings on either side, bumper to bumper traffic, horns blaring. She had never been to New York before, but in two seconds she felt more at home here than she ever did in Michigan.

“Darcy!” Jane gasped, nudging her assistant gently in the arm.

“What?” Darcy rubbed her upper arm, even though it hadn’t hurt. “I’m just stating the facts, ma’am. Only the facts.”

Jane rolled her eyes at Darcy’s antics. “Honestly? It’s just New York. You act like you’ve never seen a big city before.”

“This is New fu-reaking York,” she quickly amended. Carefully, she snapped a picture of a building. She made a mental note to send it to her cousins later with the words ‘Suck it.’ “This isn’t like any city I’ve seen. Detroit went to shit, Mexico City’s lame, and I didn’t see much of DC since we were treated like prisoners.”

“We were not treated like prisoners,” Jane muttered. The GPS announced they had to turn right in 0.2 miles (how accurate). “We were free to do whatever we pleased…as long as we remained inside the building.” After 0.2 miles, Jane turned right (how prompt).

“They didn’t even give me back my iPod correctly,” Darcy pointed out, draining the last of the gas station coffee that they picked up at their last fill up about thirty minutes from the city. Jane had finished hers plus the back up one fifteen minutes before this. “They deleted irreplaceable songs!”

“I’m sure you can find the bike horn version of ‘Mambo Number Five’ on the Internet again.”

Darcy leaned back in the seat, clutching her chest and looking horrified. “You monster!”

The traffic grew denser the deeper into Manhattan they went. If it weren’t for the built in GPS that came with the rental car, they would have gotten lost for sure: Jane with no sense of earthly direction and Darcy who was too distracted by the New York-ness of it all to pay attention to anything that wasn’t New York. The only thing she could do right then was marvel at the buildings, the people, the…everything. When they passed Trump Tower, she took a quick picture, another to write home about.

Darcy’s jaw dropped when she saw Stark Tower. She studied the damage, right down to the lone surviving ‘A.’ Plastic covered holes in the windows, and there was a chunk missing from the balcony. But, that didn’t compare to the damage in the surrounding area. Entire city blocks were leveled, debris was still in the streets, and a good chunk of Manhattan was still marked off as a danger zone, including the Tower.

The police let them right through. So, maybe there were some perks to being in custody of a secret government organization, Darcy reasoned. Even if said organization did delete a lot of Darcy’s (somewhat) legal music.

Then again, those perks probably include the fact that they know one of the members in The Avengers.

“Do you even know where we’re supposed to go?” Darcy asked Jane as they walked through the rubble and remains, keeping out of the way of policemen, firemen, and volunteers as they tried to bring Manhattan back to its former glory. Stark Tower stood right in front of them, not as spectacular as it had been lead to be with all this talk of the first building with self-sustaining energy in the world.

Although, the closer Darcy and Jane got, the more believable the achievement.

“Well, I know we’re supposed to go to Stark Tower,” Jane said lamely, pushing the glass door as the duo walked inside. Jane led the way, but Darcy was hot on her heels. The lobby was eerily silent, the only noise penetrating the walls came from the work outside. “The only other specific instructions we had were to follow some man named…Jarvis…”

“Jarvis?” Darcy repeated, stopping in the middle of the lobby when Jane did. “What the hell kind of name is that?”

*That would be my name, Miss.*

Both Jane and Darcy jumped back when they heard the British voice coming from everywhere and nowhere. Both of them looked around wildly in search of the assailant.

“I don’t know who you are but this isn’t funny,” Jane said, her voice shaking slightly.

“Yeah, I would be careful if I were you,” Darcy warned, her voice steadier than Jane’s. “I’ve tased a god before and I won’t hesitate to do it again.”

*My apologies. You must be Doctor Jane Foster and Miss Darcy Lewis. You are expected on the twentieth floor conference room. Just follow the sound of my voice and I shall lead you there.*

Neither Jane nor Darcy moved. After the craziness they have been through in the last year, they wouldn’t be easily fooled into blindly following a voice.

*Doctor Foster and Miss Lewis, if it would help to build trust, I will let you know that I am an artificial intelligence that Mister Tony Stark created. I will not harm you in anyway unless told so by Mr. Stark, or Miss Potts. So, if you will please, most have assembled and are waiting for you and a couple of others.*

Jane was the first to oblige, taking a step away from Darcy and turning towards her. “Darcy, I remember reading about him. Everything he says is true. I mean, I don’t know the schematics on how he works. Mr. Stark certainly kept that part hush-hush, but…it’ll be fine.”

“Look, I’m an atheist for a reason,” Darcy argued. “I can’t blindly follow a celestial being!”

*I’m not a god, Miss Lewis. If I was, do you really think I would be working for Mr. Stark?*

“Hey, I resent that,” A man said just as the elevator doors opened to reveal a man with a well sculpted goatee, medium build, and on the older side, but Darcy would not mind putting age aside for a chance to tap that. Of course, she immediately recognized the man as Tony Stark, and the pictures and videos from the news certainly captured is aura of bravado.

At the very least, Darcy fell for it.

“You wound me, J,” Tony Stark continued as he walked across the lobby. Jane and Darcy remained rooted in place. They didn’t bat an eyelash when they met a god, but Tony Stark was definitely a step up from a god. He was a god in his own rite.

He smiled brightly when he stepped up in front of the scientist and her assistant—a thousand watts, maybe even two. Darcy was certainly blinded. “Tony Stark,” he said, holding his hand out. “Genius billionaire playboy philanthropists.”

*Ignore that. He’s been on a kick. Saying that whenever he greets someone.*

“Will you adopt me?” The words fell out of Darcy’s mouth before she could stop them. Jane nudged her in the ribs, but Tony chuckled.

“Sure, why not. I’ll have JARVIS start up the paperwork.”

*Right away, sir.* Darcy swore she heard a hint of sarcasm in the AI’s voice.

“I am so sorry for my assistant,” Jane said quickly. “Her mouth is detached from her brain.”

“Funny, Pepper says the same thing about me,” Tony said offhandedly. “I do need someone to take over the company when we kick the bucket. How good are you with business?”

“I’m a political science major.”

Tony thought about it for a moment. “I can work with that.”

*Sir, the meeting…*

“Right.” Tony clapped his hands together, smiling back at Jane and Darcy. “J told me you guys were skeptical. I swear, we don’t bite…unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

Jane just stared at Tony as Darcy laughed loudly. “Dude, if you adopt me, you can bite me whenever you want.”

“DARCY!”

*Sir, the meeting.*

Tony and Darcy huffed in annoyance. Jane looked between the two of them. “Oh, god. And I thought Norse gods were going to bring the end of the world,” she muttered, rubbing her temples together. “No, it’s going to be you two.”

Both Tony and Darcy smiled wickedly. “I have no clue what you mean,” Darcy said, mock innocence. Her smile somehow broadened. “J…”

Jane looked like she was about to explode when the elevator doors opened again. Out stepped a woman in a white business suit and light blue blouse. Her pumps clanked against the dark marble as she crossed over to the trio standing in the middle of the room. She glared at Tony and the engineer immediately straightened.

Darcy made whip sounds in her head that she resisted the urge to verbalize.

“JARVIS,” the woman said, her eyes still locked on Tony’s. “Why did you think it was a good idea to send Tony to do the meet and greet?” The AI stayed silent. He was a smart man (is he even a man, Darcy wondered). “I am so sorry for whatever he said. I swear we are not frozen beings that were just defrosted to take over the world.”

“Isn’t that the plot of the new Star Trek movie?” Darcy asked loudly.

“Yes,” she said, slightly annoyed. “My name is Pepper Potts, I’m the CEO of Stark Industries and somehow this man’s girlfriend.” Tony smirked at that last bit before the glare wore it back down.

“I’m Doctor Jane Foster,” Jane said, shaking Pepper’s offered hand. “I’m an astrophysicists—“

“And kind of dating a god,” Darcy said quickly. Jane turned and glared at her. “What?”

“I am not…”

“Wait. So you’re Thor’s girlfriend. Jesus Christ. Okay, any pass I made on you, I didn’t mean it. Please tell him that the next time he’s in the neighborhood.”

Jane turned sixteen shades of red in two seconds.

“Pass?” Pepper asked, turning back towards Tony to glare at him. Just the brief look that Darcy got, she was damn glad she was not the receiving end of that. She immediately took the whipping sounds back in case the woman ever found out about them. “You did not…oh, Tony!”

Tony swallowed hard, probably debating whether he should call the suit or not (please grab it, instantly became her mantra). “I wasn’t flirting with them,” he said quickly. “It was more of a friendly introduction.”

“He’s also adopting me,” Darcy included. Maybe it would help his case.

“Upstairs. Now.” Her voice wasn’t harsh and angry. It was certainly forceful and far from kind. Tony quickly obeyed. “Again, I’m so sorry. He’s barely house broken.”

“I can understand that,” Jane said honestly, turning towards Darcy.

“What?” she asked again. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Does ‘Please adopt me’ ring a bell?”

“Hey, I asked nicely…and I didn’t say please. God, what am I, a child?”

*Director Fury would like to start the meeting soon, which he needs Doctor Foster present for.*

“Hey, what about me?” Darcy asked. “I gotta be important.”

The AI stayed silent.

* * * * *

Sitting in the steel and glass room, Darcy completely understood why JARVIS remained silent. These people had skills, powers, and/or knowledge beyond her mundane possibilities. She was only a lab assistant who just needed six science credits to get her degree and she figured that interning was the easiest way to get them (so, so effing wrong on all counts).

Starting at the front left was Steve Rogers, or Captain America as she learned in all of her history classes. He definitely looked better in full HD color than the grainy black and white photos in her history books. It didn’t help that, all throughout school, she had the biggest crush on him. Her and about ninety-five percent of her class (this included straight guys and gay women). It honestly took all of her willpower (which, admittedly, wasn’t much) not to completely stare at the hunk of bod that he was.

Darcy really, really hoped that he had a terrible personality so she would have a reason to hate him. She had to focus on her career and didn’t have time for silly exploits…if she could ever get out of here, that is…

Next to him was Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow. Darcy had even less knowledge about her, but she knew that she’s good with a gun and decided not to get on her bad side. Ever. Although, she wanted to know where the redhead got her top. It was cute in a ‘don’t fuck with me’ sort of way.

Who she considered to be the coolest person in the room was Bruce Banner. Her freshmen science class at Culver was practically dedicated to the doctor and his research and discoveries. The fact that he also turned into a big, green rage monster when he was angry was pretty cool, too. But, it didn’t help when he was fighting another Hulk-ish dude in Harlem that it totally ruined her one and only spring break ever. But, it did make her popular around campus for a couple days, which was pretty cool she guessed.

Next to him was the only other Avenger Darcy had already met. Tony was having a conversation with Bruce and, if the pointing and glances were any indication on what the subject could possibly be, it was her and/or Jane.

Darcy was honestly surprised when Pepper left them at the door, saying she wasn’t invited to this meeting. By the sounds of it, she should have been, since most everyone in the room gave her a friendly greeting as she left, which wasn’t given to Tony if his loud complaints were any indication. He needed to work on his subtleness.

Overall, Darcy was surprised, and disappointed. When she found out her and Jane were being called to a meeting that included the Avengers, she thought it would be a lot more exciting than this. Then again, she pictured a little more action and not so much sitting around and complaining.

But, even with the disappointment, she was elated. Never before had she been surrounded be people of such caliber. She really, really wanted to take a picture of this and send it to every single member of her family and everyone who had ever doubted her just to show how she literally in the presence of those who saved the world and was actually doing something with her life besides being a complete and utter fuck up.

Even if she wasn’t technically an Avenger. But, being a lab assistant was still pretty cool, right? It got her to witness gods touching down to earth after all. That’s gotta be worth something in the eyes of people who don’t have any real goals or ambitions in life.

“Well, I’m surprised everyone’s here,” Director Fury said as he walked inside, dragging Darcy away from her vendetta-filled stupor. She looked up to see the familiar face: hardened, emotionless, and eye-patched. She had only met the director once before and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. He had basically told her that she was being stripped of her constitutional rights and that she and Jane were going to stay in SHIELD protective custody for the foreseeable future. It honestly made Darcy’s blood boil, and she was honestly glad that she wasn’t the only one. It seemed like a majority of the room had some sort of beef with him.

She hasn’t had enough coffee to deal with this right now.

“Fury? Surprised? Hold the presses. I think Hell just froze over.” Tony leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he glared at the director.

“Shut up, Stark. Despite what you might think, this isn’t about you.” Fury’s jaw clenched as he placed his palms against the surface of the table. “It hasn’t been that long since the intergalactic incident, and we’re still trying to recover. While charities and bureaucrats focus on getting Manhattan cleaned up and back to its shiny state, we need to be ready for another attack, if and when one comes.”

“We are,” Steve chimed in, sitting up a little straighter. “We’ve changed tactics. Training up SHIELD employees and even hiring a couple of independent scientists that could help us.” Tony snorted, loudly. Steve’s fists tightened, but he ignored it. He’s a better man than most. Darcy had to respect that. “There’s no way we’re going to allow something like this to happen again.”

Fury nodded. “Yes, I know that’s all been happening. But, that’s not enough. Like I said before, we are still hopeless and hilariously outgunned. Sure, you all proved yourselves against a bat shit crazy god and his army of bat shit crazy aliens, but a threat is still looming over us. We have reason to believe that Loki wasn’t working alone. Thor eluded to that.” Darcy felt Jane tense when Thor was mentioned. That was probably one of the hardest parts about this whole thing. Darcy can handle losing her freedom, she can find a way out of that. But Jane losing Thor, and then Thor not even coming to see her when he was on earth (not that there was time, she realized, but that was still pretty shitty). There was no way of mending a broken heart when Thor was now a bajillion light years away.

“Which is why I have brought Dr. Jane Foster in,” Fury continued, pointing to the woman next to Darcy. “She has agreed to help us get a portal open so we can get Thor back here. We need allies. Particularly ones that have the heavy artillery to back us up if another incident arises.”

“We also need The Avengers within reach,” Fury continued after a brief pause. “Which is why Stark has barely agreed to extend Stark Tower—or what’s left, really—and make it Avengers Tower.”

The only one who didn’t look shocked was Tony. He just looked pissed. “That’s only because you gave me an ultimatum.”

“I’m sure Miss Potts wouldn’t want to see those photos.”

“She was gone for a week! A man has needs!”

Darcy swore Fury rolled his eye. “Anyway, as of immediately, you will all have level assignments to live at Stark Tower, even during the renovation.”

Jane raised her hand, and Darcy resisted the urge to laugh loudly. Everyone in the room looked amused…except for Fury. He simply pointed to her, not saying anything to her. “So, I understand that you need Miss Lewis and I to get Thor back,” she said. This time, Darcy didn’t hold back a snort when she said ‘Miss Lewis.’ What was she? Her mother? “But what about us? Where will we be staying?”

“You both will be staying on Thor’s floor for now,” he said. “But, that can be subject to change when he comes back.”

“Thank god,” Darcy muttered. “I don’t think I could stand being in close proximity to their reunion. We should go on a Tower-wide vacation when that happens.” Jane’s cheeks turned countless shades of red, and she ducked her head to hide away from it. Darcy smirked in victory.

“Pepper knows the level assignments,” Tony said, almost bored as he stood up. “She’ll tell you, and I’ve got people to help you guys out with moving boxes and shit. Don’t bother me unless something’s actually on fire.” With an air of finality, he stood up from his seat and left the conference room, leaving the rest of the tenants slightly stunned.

Fury sighed. “You heard him. If you have questions, hesitate to ask.” With that, he left. One by one, everyone left. Darcy and Jane took up the rear of the group, but Steve held back, watching the interesting brunette as she joked with her boss.


	2. Cupcakes

Stepping off the elevator was like stepping into Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, sans everything being edible and the fairly diabolical plot on the candy maker’s part. Everything was chic and classy, and Darcy swore she was in a designer’s catalog, not in a place she was staying in for an unknown number of years.

The wooden floor was in a deep, cherry wood and the overstuffed sofa and chairs were a subdued cream. The throw pillows were a light green with dark green embroidered lines that created a geometric pattern full of squares and triangles. The dark brown walls made everything else in the room pop, from the landscape paintings dotting the wall, to the stone fireplace below a flat screen television that had more square footage than her first dorm room.

*Welcome Dr. Foster and Miss Lewis,* JARVIS announced in his creepy everywhere and nowhere voice. *The master bedroom is at the very end of the hall, and the guest bedroom is down the hall and to the right. The kitchen is not stocked since this whole thing is last minute with Mr. Stark, but the community kitchen on the top level is well stocked and free to be used at your leisure.*

“Do we get some sort of food credit?” Darcy asked, abandoning her luggage and meandering through the living room. “We’ll need to keep our place well stocked with Pop-tarts, coffee, and Red Vines, especially when Pikachu decides to get his godly ass back on earth.”

“Darcy!”

*I will compile a list of items that have been requested, and someone will go to the store once a day. This can range from grocery items to toiletries. But, you’ll have to consult Mr. Stark if you want big-ticket items.*

“So…like tampons?”

*If that is needed, Miss Lewis.*

Jane smacked her forehead, growling softly. “I can’t believe you, sometimes.”

“What? Tampons are a necessary thing when Aunt Flo decides to come visit. And I do not mean my Great Aunt Flo. If she comes to visit, we have a serious problem because she died nearly ten years ago.”

Jane blinked at Darcy. Even JARVIS remained silent. “Do you even think about the words that fall out of your mouth?”

“Sometimes,” Darcy said with a shrug. She headed back towards the elevator and grabbed her bags. “You can have the master bedroom.”

Jane paused, as if expected Darcy to add something to that. “Oh, well…thank you, Darcy. That’s kind of you.”

“You’ll also need the extra room when Thor finally comes back to earth.” Jane glared at Darcy. “What. It’s true. You’re the only one of us that will get something-something in the next few months, you might as well have the bigger room for it.”

“Probably because I don’t call it something-something.”

“No, you’re saying it wrong. You gotta make it sound sexy.”

Jane sighed. “Why did I keep you after New Mexico?”

“Because I’m cute, cuddly, and the only one who can keep up with you. Also, you defended my honor when SHIELD thought about giving me the boot and shipping me off to god knows where.”

“Point taken,” Jane said, giving a slight smile. “Go get settled in then. Tomorrow, we’re unloading equipment and getting right to work.”

“Aye, aye, boss,” Darcy said. She saluted before heading into what was her new room.

* * * * *

Darcy couldn’t sleep. It was one thing to keep up the bravado around Jane and everyone else that she had this whole thing figure out. But, in reality, she didn’t. Hell, she wasn’t even supposed to be here. Jane could have easily found someone else to be her assistant, one who was actually interested in that field of science. But, then, where would that leave Darcy? A lost, career student who would always worry that someone was constantly monitor her (as if SHIELD would freely let someone with her knowledge go).

She sat up in the queen size bed, feeling like she was in some five star hotel room rather than her room. A lot of the pictures and posters she had decorating her various dorm rooms were either lost in some sort of move, or still haven’t been released by SHIELD (why in the world they had to confiscate her Blink 182 poster was beyond her). Right now, the only indication that it was her room were the piles of clothing already building up, her suitcase and backpack spilling out, and her iPod with headphones lying on the bedside table.

Even with knowing that all the rooms in the Tower were soundproof (at least, to the average human), Darcy still tiptoed out of her room and down the hall. She passed Jane’s room, noticing light filtering underneath the door. As tempted as she was, the last thing she wanted to do was engage in some sort of friendly exchange of words with her boss right then. She didn’t know what she personally wanted, but she would rather be alone than rather find out she wanted to be alone.

She wandered into the living room. The television was tempted, and she had access to more television shows and movies than Netflix and Hulu Plus combined, but even the idea of catching up on Dexter or finally getting to see what the fuss was about with Hannibal didn’t tempt her. Instead, she headed for the elevator and told JARVIS to send her to the common area.

The common area was a lot like Thor’s floor, except the floor was divided into three rooms (a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room) and was stocked with everything. Within the cupboards was more food than Darcy had ever seen in her life. Then again, a Tower full of superheroes, it’s to be expected that they would need enough food for a small army.

The first thing she picked up on during the awkward dinner (mandatory for being the first night everyone, sans Thor, could be in the Tower) was the number of basic ingredients the kitchen held: flour, sugar, baking soda, butter… Of course, her mind immediately went to her best coping mechanism. Something she had done ever since she was little and life was just too much to handle and she couldn’t punch anyone.

Baking cupcakes.

She started gathering ingredients for the cupcakes where she had the recipe completely memorized. The only thing tricky in it would be the dark brown sugar, but Tony hadn’t disappointed her in what he had stocked. Once she had the oven set, she started measuring everything out only to knock over the bowl of flour when the buzzer went off, indicated that it was already pre-heated. “Jesus,” she muttered, trying to calm down for a few moments before cleaning up her mess.

"Oh, I’m sorry." For the second time in five minutes, Darcy was caught off guard. She turned to face Steve Rogers (fuck). "I didn’t know anyone would be up at this time of night. Are you…baking something?"

Darcy looked back at the mess she was still in the middle of cleaning up. “I swear I don’t normally dump flour on the counter. I’m from California but I’m not that crazy.”

Steve blinked at her, as if gauging if she was serious or not. “Okay, well I…I just needed to grab something to eat.”

Right. She was warned about his high metabolism (thoroughly by Agent Coulson). “Well, if you don’t mind waiting a while, I can have a couple dozen brown sugar cupcakes with butter frosting.”

Steve smiled sheepishly at that. “Well, I’ll need something with a bit more…protein and carbs, but I’ll definitely be willing to taste test.” He started digging through cupboards.

"Alright," Darcy said, shrugging. She went back to mixing the dry ingredients together before moving to get the stand mixer set. She almost had a baker’s orgasm at the large, late model KitchenAid that had a special setting for cake batter so it didn’t overbeat it.

"So, what caused you to want to bake cupcakes at two am?" Steve asked, sitting down at the counter with enough food to feed the average college student for the semester.

"Couldn’t sleep," she said, starting to beat the butter. "Why are you up? Dreamed of a four course meal and woke up hungry?"

"Not, really," Steve said, ducking his head to hide the burn spreading across his cheeks. "Thanks to my high metabolism I have to eat constantly. Bruce is trying to make a pill that sort of…fixes that, I guess. At least, that’s what it sounded like.”

Darcy mentally punched herself for saying something as stupid as that. Of course she knew that. They have already been over this. But, like always, her brain decided to spew out whatever the hell it wanted without consulting her brain.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Darcy said, mixing in all the wet ingredients. She steadily added the dry ingredients to the mix. “So, uh…what do you think of this whole…everyone-staying-at-the-Tower business?”

Steve shrugged, finishing his bite of sandwich before answering. “Well, I’m glad the whole team is here, and it’s great that we could get you, Dr. Foster, and Dr. Selvig in on this as well.”

“What the hell can I possibly do?” Darcy asked, making sure the batter was well blended. “I’m just a glorified service monkey.”

Steve smiled at that, and Darcy desperately tried to figure out why. “I know how you feel. As if everyone’s just using you?”

“Not quite,” Darcy said slowly. “More like…you’re just there for comic relief. In movies, those characters are fairly important if you don’t want the tone to get too dark. But, in real life…not really necessary.”

“You are necessary,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, necessary to keep Jane caffeinated and reminding her that sleep isn’t a sign of weakness.”

Steve chuckled at that. “What’s with the brainy scientists and their insanity?”

“Must have snuffed too much formaldehyde when dissecting animals in their undergrad,” Darcy mumbled, searching through the drawers for an ice cream scoop. She could feel the confusion on Steve’s face, so she added, “Formaldehyde is used to preserve animals for dissecting. At least, I think they use formaldehyde. There’s a reason why I took on an internship rather than a stupid group one science course with a lab.” She sighed. “I’m just confusing you more, aren’t I?”

“Kind of,” he said. “But, I’m used to it. But, thanks for trying to explain, anyway. The gesture is appreciated.”

“Well, if you ever need an explanation on anything,” she said, practically tearing the drawers apart to find what she is looking for, “you can always come to me. I’ll try not to be a college professor about it and end up confusing you more…like I just did.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, standing up to clean his dishes. Tony had a state of the art dishwasher that was probably more high tech than a third world country, and he was doing them by hand. “If you need me to wash anything, I can.”

“Well, if I ever find a stupid ice cream scoop, I might take you up on the offer.”

“Why do you need an ice cream scoop for cupcakes?”

“To measure out the batter to fill the cups,” Darcy explained. “YES!” she said triumphantly as she held up the ice cream scoop in her hand. It was even an old fashioned one with the lever that pushed the ice cream out. “Sorry, finally found it.”

“No, it’s okay,” Steve said, a warm smile on his face. “Enjoy the small victories.”

Darcy went about measuring the batter into the cups, and then popped them in the oven. She set the digital timer on the oven, glad she didn’t have to consult JARVIS about it. There was just something satisfying about finally getting to the right number after skipping it numerous times. She turned and noticed Steve watching her. Not that she minded. If it weren’t for the fact that this was Captain freaking America, she would have probably been all over him by now. 

At least, she convinced herself she would have been all over him and that was the only thing that was holding her back.

“How are you adjusting to living in the Tower?” Steve asked Darcy as she slid into the stool next to him. She kept her eyes on the oven, needing to keep an eye on her future babies that everyone will eventually devour.

“Well, the fact that it’s three AM and I’m making cupcakes is a pretty good indication of how well I’m adjusting.”

“Not well?”

“Correctamundo!”

Steve glanced over at her. “I’m sorry to hear that. But, I can understand. It’s…overwhelming.”

Darcy nodded. “Yeah. It is.”

“So, it was never explained how you fit into all this,” Steve said. Darcy noted how he was playing with the frayed edge of his white shirt. “I mean, I know you are Jane’s assistant. But no one seemed to go beyond that. And you didn’t talk much during dinner.”

There was a reason for that. It was like high school all over again when she was in classes without her friends. While everyone talked and gossiped, she just sat there reading the book du jour. Everyone in the group seemed to have their safety nets. Natasha, Clint, and Phil were talking silently amongst themselves. Tony, Bruce, and Jane were talking about science-y things that went right over her head. Steve talked a bit with Pepper, but he moved on to talking with the SHIELD agents when Pepper needed to talk with Tony. Darcy just sat there next to Jane, feeling like a complete lump of uselessness.

“That’s it,” Darcy said simply. “I’m just Jane’s assistant. I was lucky enough to get chosen for an internship so I didn’t have to waste an entire semester struggling to learn biology or chemistry since science is not my strongest point. Besides, it seemed easy at the time. Just taking notes, going on coffee runs. Nothing complicated or science-y about that.”

Steve slowly nodded. “But, then the whole…Thor incident,” he said. His cheeks burned slightly, and Darcy tried to figure out why. “Sorry, I had to read Thor’s file when Loki had taken the Tesseract. You were briefly mentioned as a civilian caught in the crossfire.”

“Did they mention how they took my iPod and didn’t replace all the songs correctly?” Darcy muttered irritably. She was going to be angry about that until the day she dies. In fact, she’ll most likely complain about it on her deathbed.

“No,” Steve said, suddenly concerned. “But, that’s still pretty rotten of them. They should have been more careful.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “It’s SHIELD. What the hell do you expect?”

“Point taken,” Steve said with a slight smile. “At least they gave you your iPod back.That’s more generous than they have been to most.”

Darcy immediately picked up on how his expression darkened. She was curious to know what SHIELD did to him, but, at the same time, she knew not to pry. She met the man barely twelve hours ago. It wasn’t her place to ask questions like that. In order to even get close to that, she had to get over the fact that this was Captain Freaking America she was talking to.

“Alright, so…” Darcy struggled to come up with a question that was A) appropriate and B) not triggering. She was warned not to ask too many questions about his past, and to not keep asking how he’s ‘adjusting.’ She could understand…and relate. “How do you like it in the Tower?”

“It’s too…I can’t think of the right work. Busy could work,” Steve said, almost absentmindedly. “I almost prefer my old apartment in Brooklyn. It was nice to have a place without all the chaos but…SHIELD insisted we all remain in the same place.”

“I’m sure if you talked with Fury, he’d let you go back there.” As much as Darcy would prefer to have him at the Tower, close enough that she could at least attempt something. But, if he honestly wanted to go back to Brooklyn, he should.

Steve shook his head. “I’ve tried. He won’t relent on this. It’s mostly for good press.” He sighed. “Some things don’t change…”

Darcy’s brows furrowed in question, but then the timer went off on the oven and she stood up to check on the cupcakes. She quickly did the toothpick test, smirking when it came out perfectly clean the first time.

“I know you wanted a cupcake tester,” Steve said, pulling Darcy out of her reverie as she placed the cupcakes on the cooling racks. “But, I think I should go to bed. We have a team meeting in the morning I’m supposed to run.”

She did her best to hide the disappointed look in her eye. “Alright, fine. Leave me. I’ll just make you try a cupcake tomorrow then. They’re usually better once they sit with the frosting, anyway.”

“I-I mean, I can stay if you—”

“I was teasing you,” Darcy said, putting a playful smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “See you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Steve said with a sigh. He stood from the stool and headed towards the elevator.

Darcy didn’t realize how suffocating the silence was until she was forced to do the rest of the work alone.


	3. Diverge

*Miss Lewis, Dr. Foster has requested that you be down in her new lab at nine o’clock. And to also bring coffee and donuts if you can.*

Darcy groaned, throwing the pillow over her head. She was starting to regret going to make cupcakes at two AM. Halfway through making the frosting, she was hit with a sudden bout of being tired. She forced herself to finish frosting the cupcakes so the cake part didn’t dry out before heading to her room, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

It had to have been after five when she finally got to bed. Now, barely at eight o’clock, she was far from ready to get up and deal with the day.

"Where the fuck does she expect me to get coffee and donuts?” Darcy growled as she pushed herself up into the sitting position, letting the pillow fall to her lap. She also didn’t bother to watch her mouth since it was just her and JARVIS. “I mean, Jesus, we have been in this stupid city for one day!”

*Miss Potts arranged for a breakfast spread on the community floor that includes donuts and other pastries, fruit, juice, and coffee. Or there are numerous coffee shops around that you could walk to for your wares.*

Darcy rubbed her eyes. It was way too early to be making decisions like this. She reached over and put her glasses down, cringing as reality came into focus. “Fine. I’ll get shit from that then.” She yawned loudly as she stood from her bed.

*Might I suggest you go to bed at a decent hour and not make cupcakes so early in the morning,* JARVIS told her.

For a brief moment, she wondered how freaking artificial intelligence could gain a condescending tone, but then she realized what he had just said. “Hey, it’s not my fault. Blame my mother or unknown father for my sleeping disorder,” she growled. She stomped into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She was not ready for the day.

But, at five to nine, she was walking through the doors of Jane’s new lab, balancing two cups of coffee and a plate of various donuts. Darcy nearly dropped them all when she saw the boxes upon boxes that were haphazardly piled everywhere. It was all from SHIELD storage with confusing lettering with no certain pattern.

“JANE!” Darcy called, placing the food items on the counter that was already littered with lab equipment from a box Jane must have been unpacking before she arrived. “I BROUGHT CAFFEINE!” she called when her own name wouldn’t summon her boss.

Jane popped out from behind a line of boxes, her brown hair sticking up at odd places and her shirt already dirty. “Thank god,” she said, taking one of the coffees and gagged. “This isn’t coffee!”

“That’s because it’s mine,” Darcy said, taking that one from Jane. “This is yours. Black like my soul.”

“Oh, whatever,” Jane said, eagerly taking a sip of her coffee. “Much better. What you drink is practically Kool-Aid.”

“What? I love what coffee does to me, I just don’t like the taste of coffee.”

Jane rolled her eyes, draining half the cup in one foul swoop. “Well, pretty much for the next couple of days, we’re just going to be unpacking boxes and getting the lab organized.”

“Only for us to make it disorganized again,” Darcy muttered.

“Pretty much,” Jane said, not arguing the point. “So, just get started. And mark things off on this list as you find them. I want to make sure I get everything back and everything is in working order.” She placed the clipboard on the table with a loud smack. “Any questions?”

“Yeah. Can I take my break now?”

“No.”

* * * * *

Three hours in and Darcy and Jane collectively only emptied four boxes. There was just a lot of random stuff that Jane had over the years (most of which she probably didn’t need, Darcy figured). But, it was a lot of fun for Darcy to try and guess exactly what piece of homemade equipment was named according to Jane’s not-so structured way of doing things.

“What’s this thing?”

“It’s a homemade electromagnetic frequency reader.”

“I don’t see it on the list.”

“I’m sure it’s on there.”

Darcy looked up from checking over the list (it’s not on there!) when she heard someone come in. Pepper’s heels clanked against the tile.

“Good morning,” she said with a small smile. “Is everything going alright here?”

"Sorta," Darcy mumbled at the same time Jane projected a clear, "Yes."

"That’s great," Pepper said, stepping up and peering into one of the boxes. She looked at it curiously before straightening up again. "You know, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me or Tony."

"Okay," Darcy said, giving up on finding the stupid thing on the list and went digging through another box. "We’ll be sure to do that."

"Also…" Pepper hesitated slightly. "Do either of you know who made the cupcakes last night."

Darcy’s grip slipped and she nearly fell into the box that contained a printer-looking object. “Um, yeah I…made them.” She tried to hide behind her hair just in case that wasn’t something she wasn’t allowed to do.

"Did you? They were amazing!" Pepper’s smile broadened. "I shamelessly ate a whole one. Where did you learn to bake like that?"

"Uh…my grandma," Darcy said.

Pepper’s eyes widened further. “You’re not even professional trained, and you made better cupcakes than most of the bakers we’ve hired.”

Darcy blinked at Pepper. “I, uh…thank you…I think.”

"I know this is a lot to ask. But we are planning on having a gala this Saturday. It’s last minute, but we need to get word out there how unified the Avengers really are now. If we pay you and supply you with the supplies needed, could you make the cupcakes for the event?"

Darcy resisted the urge to slap herself to make sure she heard Pepper right. “You want to pay me to make cupcakes…?”

"Yes."

"How many would I have to make?"

"Five or six dozen. There’s not going to be a lot in attendance, but we’re hoping to get as much publicity as possible."

"Meep!" Darcy wasn’t even sure that was a real word that tumbled out of her mouth. "I mean, I can do that. One batch of batter usually makes twenty-four cupcakes. I can make three different kinds."

"As long as you make the ones from this morning, the other two can be anything."

"Okay, so you want those by Saturday, right?" Darcy asked. "I should make them Friday then so that they’re freshest."

"I can have all the supplies needed sent up to your suite so you won’t be interrupted in the common area. Or, better yet, why don’t you use the professional kitchen on the tenth floor. That never gets used."

Darcy would much rather work in the commons so she had a higher chance of getting interrupted by Steve. “Whichever is fine by me. I’d probably be better off in just the normal kitchen, though. That’s what I’m used to.”

"Whatever works for you." Pepper whipped out her phone and was busy typing away on it. "Just leave a list with JARVIS and I’ll make sure you’re all set for Friday. Thank you, Darcy."

With that, Pepper left. Darcy was left standing there, her arms halfway into the box to grab the printer thing. After a long moment, she looked over at Jane. “What the hell just happened?”

"You just agreed to make sixty to seventy-two cupcakes in five day’s time."

Darcy blinked rapidly at her boss. “Son of a bitch!”

* * * * *

By the end of the day, it didn’t even look like Jane and Darcy had put a dent in the boxes.

"Okay. It’s nearly seven. We should call it a night."

"But…do you know how much we could accomplish if we keep going?" Jane asked excitedly. "We could very nearly finish."

"Okay there, Miss Optimistic. We’ll need to stay up for three days straight in order to do that." Darcy shook her head. "I know you want to get right back to work on your research and discoveries, but you and I need these very human things like food and sleep."

"Just a little bit longer, okay?" Jane reasoned, practically lying.

Darcy sighed. “Fine. But I’m going to take a break and get us some take-out. There’s a Chinese place not far from here. Will that work?”

Jane nodded. “That’s fine. Just don’t take too long.”

Darcy couldn’t help but smile as she headed for the elevator. She was finally getting the chance to take a break from the lab and see a bit more of the city. Sure, Jane’s lab does have a great panoramic view of the rooftops around them. But, beyond that, there wasn’t much else to look at. The people and cars look like ants, the sky was a light grey with a large amount of cloud cover, and she was pretty sure that the suite at the very top of the tower (which was for Tony and Pepper only) could only see fog outside the floor to ceiling windows.

The elevator headed down to the main lobby, Darcy practically vibrating with excitement. It stopped on the tenth floor. The doors slid open to reveal Clint Barton, or Hawkeye as she was used to calling him. She didn’t know much about him other than he was a badass marksman, was there during the New Mexico incident, and may or may not be dating Agent Tightass.

“Oh, hey, you’re Thor’s girlfriend’s assistant, right?” he asked, stepping on next to Darcy.

“Uh…yeah,” she said, looking everywhere but at him. “But, that’s too many degrees off on who you’re looking for.”

“What?”

“Nevermind…”

“Anyway,” Clint articulated slowly. “Can you do me a huge-ass favor?”

“I don’t come cheap.”

“Ha, funny,” he said. “But, really. This is kind of important.” The instantaneous change in tone made her look over at him. He seemed like the kind of guy to turn anything into a joke and once in awhile, an innuendo. So, the fact that he turned serious caught Darcy’s attention. “You know Agent Coulson, right?”

“I’m sure I have high enough clearance level to breathe the same air as him,” Darcy said nonchalantly.

“Good to know,” Clint said, crossing his arms. “I was wondering if—” The doors slid open to reveal the posh lobby, “—you would sort of take up being his assistant as well.”

Darcy froze comically as she was about to step off the elevator. “Uh…what?”

“I know you’re busy helping Dr. Foster getting her lab ready. But, I read your file.” Darcy thought it was odd since he didn’t seem like the type to do his homework. “All I’m asking you to do is sort of do what you are already doing for her, just for Phil instead.”

“Shouldn’t SHIELD supply him with an assistant?” Darcy asked, finally taking the step to get off the elevator. “Someone with a slightly higher clearance level than me?”

“He denies one every time someone suggests it,” Clint said, following her right out of the building. Figures, Darcy thought.

“So what makes you think that he’s going to let me help him?” Darcy asked, stopping at the crosswalk and waiting for traffic to clear. “Look dude, this all seems fine in theory, but if he’s not going to cooperate—”

“I’ll make him,” Clint said simply. “So, what do you say?”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on! He’s running himself ragged. It’s not good for him to be putting in the long hours that he is. Anything to reduce the stress in his life.”

“Fine, I’ll do it,” she grumbled, barely paying attention to what she was saying. “But you better pay me in energy drinks and the occasional cigarette.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll let you know what you have to do tomorrow.” With that, he left, and Darcy couldn’t tell which direction he went in.

She let what she had just agreed to do sink in for a moment before releasing a very loud and attention seeking, “GODDAMN IT!”

* * * * *

About an hour later, Darcy walked back into the Tower, carrying a brown bag full of Chinese food that was burning hot. She stepped onto the elevator and headed back to Jane’s lab. When it stopped quite a few floors before her floor to a sweaty and red faced Steve. Just that alone caused the fine hairs on her neck to stand up on end. Her mental mantra became a long string of swear words.

“Hey,” he said, stepping on. He was wiping his face with a towel. That should be illegal! “Late dinner,” he commented, pointing at the bag.

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled, shifting the weight in her arms. Jesus, how does he do that without even meaning to? “Figured Jane and I better eat something if she expects us to work all night.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Steve pointed out, leaning against the wall as the doors closed. “You need your sleep.”

“You do realize you’re talking to an insomniac who makes cupcakes in the middle of the night, right?” Darcy said dryly, looking straight at the gold, mirrored door. “It’s fine. She wants to get her lab in order. It’s better than what she could be doing.”

“What’s that?”

“Moping about Thor.” She sighed softly. “She hides it pretty well, but she’s pissed at him for not even trying to visit her.”

“Well, there was an alien invasion, plus with the whole thing with Loki.”

“That’s what I told her!” Darcy exasperated. “But, you know the thing about love. Even if they fuck up just a little bit, even if it’s out of their control, it seems like the end of the world.”

Darcy wasn’t much for intuition, mostly depending on what she needed to see to completely understand the world around her. However, she could even feel the sudden shift in Steve’s aura. Was it something she said? Most likely. Her and her big mouth was going to be the death of her one day.

“I’m sorry,” Darcy mumbled, not quite sure what she was sorry about. But, whatever it was, she honestly was sorry.

“It’s not your fault,” Steve said, straightening up. “I shouldn’t let it get to me.”

Darcy was about to ask for clarification when the elevator doors opened again. This time, it was Tony. He looked between the two of them, a slight smirk toying on his face. “Hey, you two,” he said, moving to stand between them. Darcy was almost glad for it, but then she didn’t have a good view of a hot and sweaty Steve. “Dinner plans?” he asked, motioning towards the brown bag.

“Dinner for Jane and I,” Darcy said, trying to ignore the implication that he was placing that her and Steve were…not in this lifetime. She would do it in a heartbeat…if she could ever get the nerve to go along with it. “Busy unpacking.”

“You know, my bots can do that,” Tony said. “Save you two a lot of effort and you’ll have more to do…other things.”

Like make a shit ton of cupcakes and keep Agent Coulson organize, Darcy thought dryly. Definitely not what Tony had in planned.

When Steve and Darcy remained silent, Tony continued. “You know, like help Steve get caught up on pop culture.”

Darcy’s brows furrowed, and Steve stiffened. “I’m getting caught up just fine, thanks. I know Darcy is busy, and she shouldn’t have to…”

“Oh, come on,” Tony said just as Darcy opened her mouth. “Just one or two movies a night to get you caught up on what you need to catch up on. You’re focusing too much on the history and not enough on everything else.” He looked over at the assistant. “You could do that, right? Jane would be unpacked in the next day or two (Ha, Darcy thought humorlessly), so, you’ll be free in the evenings to help Steve.”

“I don’t know…” Steve said.

“Come on. You sit down and watch movies. That’s it.”

The doors opened to Jane’s lab. It doesn’t look like the scientist made any progress since Darcy last showed up. “I guess I can manage it,” she said, turning towards the two men. “We’ll start off with the Star Trek movies. But you better start reading the Harry Potter books. You won’t be allowed to watch the movies until you read all of them.”

Darcy stepped off the elevator and headed towards the counter, mentally kicking herself for taking up yet another freaking task. She was only supposed to be Jane’s lab assistant, not everyone’s little lackey.


	4. Troubleshooting

Jane called it a night at five o’clock in the morning.  
  
They dragged themselves back to Thor’s floor. Jane didn’t even make it to her bedroom, collapsing on the couch instead. Darcy made sure she had a pillow under her head and a blanket over her. Since she was used to running for days with little sleep, Darcy at least made it to her room and out of her bra and pants before falling into bed. The sunlight was starting to peek past the buildings when she finally fell asleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was another eight AM wake up call.  
  
“Fuck off, JARVIS,” she muttered, pulling the blankets back over her.  
  
“My apologies, Miss Lewis, but I’m afraid I don’t have the hardware for that. Would you rather I relay a message to Doctor Foster that you wish to remain in bed?”  
  
“No,” Darcy groaned, pushing herself up off the bed. It didn’t last long before she collapsed back onto them, curling up with her knees against her chest. “Just tell her I’ll be a little late.”  
  
It was the same as the day before. But, this time, instead of Pepper interrupting mid-morning, it was Clint.  
  
“Already?” Darcy asked, straightening up after she moved her box. She immediately noticed how stiff her back was. Definitely not going to make it much longer.  
  
Clint placed the large stack of files on the only clear space on the table. “I had to do this before Phil changed his mind,” he said, crossing his arms. “All of these needed at least three copies, need to be in chronological and alphabetical order from that. He’d also like it be the end of the day.”  
  
“Why can't you do this?” Darcy asked, staring at him.  
  
“You don’t have high enough clearance to know what I’m doing,” he said simply, giving Darcy a thousand-watt smile. “Besides, you agreed to help him.”  
  
And Darcy was really regretting that. She’s regretting a lot of things right then. “Fine. I’ll do it when I find time.”  
  
"Great. I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Clint said before scampering off...through the vents, Darcy figured.  
  
"What are you doing?" Jane asked while going over box number 24601 of small, shiny things. "What are those?"  
  
Darcy opened the first file. "It looks like a preliminary report of some sort." At least, that was the first SHIELD-ish sounding vocabulary word to fall out of her mouth. "I'm supposed to make copies and organize it and shit like that."  
  
"Why?" Jane asked, almost incredulously.  
  
"Because, as you have fully realized by now, I don't know how to say no."  
  
*****  
  
The copying alone took up all of Darcy's self-appointed lunch hour. She barely had time to grab a package of Pop Tarts before heading back to the lab. Even then, she was pretty sure Jane has eaten most of it when she made the mistake of leaving it on the table while she transported empty boxes to the recycling center (Tony wasn't kidding when he made everything green).  
  
"Okay, I think that's most everything that's present and accounted for," Jane said. "However, there are a few things missing like some external hard drives I used to hold data, certain CDs, and a blender. Can you take this list over to Agent Coulson. Make him send someone over to the storage unit to find everything."  
  
"Yeah," Darcy muttered, taking the clipboard. "I'll take it over there while I deliver the files I still need to organize."  
  
Jane nodded. "Okay. I'll get started on getting the network setup. From there, I'll hopefully be able to get the Einstein-Rosen bridge up and running."  
  
"Yay me," Darcy mumbled as she placed the clipboard down and started organizing the files, but she couldn't remember if they had to be alphabetical first or chronological first...  
  
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and sighed at the screen. "Told Cap to meet you in the theater room at 7."  
  
She looked at the time. 4:32. "Make sure things are set for the first Star Trek movie."  
  
"The original series, the next generation, or the reboot?"  
  
“TOS.”  
  
It was six o'clock by the time she had all the files organized and started carrying them towards Coulson's office. She leaned back into the elevator, feeling like she could fall asleep right there and then.  
  
Once the doors slid open, she carefully walked down the corridor. Everything about it was creepy due to the low lighting. She stopped outside the one with the plaque that had the name "Fucker In Charge of You Fucking Fucks" on it. No doubt one of Tony's jokes. Since she couldn't knock, Darcy kicked the door as hard as she could.  
  
She nearly dropped the papers when she saw it was the Black Widow.  
  
It was like she was in high school all over again and she had her eye on Justin Wakely for the good part of junior year. At least, until him and another girl suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth once it came out that the girl was pregnant.  
  
"Here to see Agent Coulson?" she asked coolly. Okay, now it was more like the first time Darcy got caught smoking in the school parking lot. Like she was so fucking small an ant could squish her.  
  
"Uh...yeah," Darcy barely managed to choke out.  
  
Natasha stepped aside and crossed her arms. "We'll talk later," she added to the shadowy figure in the office. Darcy swallowed hard as she stepped inside, flinching when Natasha slammed the door shut behind her.  
  
"Got the files, I see," Coulson said without missing a beat. He patted his desk and turned to sit behind it. "Thank you. You saved me about a half a day's work."  
  
Darcy nodded, trying to do the math in her head since that didn't seem right. "Well, you're welcome," she said. She pointed at the stack. “Also, there’s a list of missing items from Jane’s collection. She was obviously more organized about her equipment than I gave her credit for. Or, at least had better paperwork on it.”  
  
Coulson nodded, picking up the clipboard and looking over it. “I’ll have someone from storage look into it. We’ll make sure Doctor Foster gets all her equipment in a timely fashion.”  
  
Darcy nodded again. “Okay,” she said slowly, backing up towards the door. “Is there anything else you need?” she asked.  
  
“That should be all,” Coulson said, much to Darcy’s relief. “But (shit!), you could do me a huge favor from now on.”  
  
No! “What is it?” Darcy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
“I have to send HQ weekly reports about the status of Doctor Foster’s current project,” Coulson answered and Darcy pretended like any of that meant something to her, “and, I was thinking that those reports would be more thorough if someone working alongside Doctor Foster was filing those out.”  
  
“You want me to do more of your job,” Darcy muttered before she could filter her mouth. Good job, way to sound like a bitch.  
  
“Kind of,” Coulson said, and Darcy wondered if he was immune to dealing with sass. “It’s just filling out a small questionnaire at the end of the week. I’ll translate it into the language that SHIELD wants to hear, and that’s it. I’m not asking you to do much else.”  
  
Except whatever Clint ropes you into giving up and ropes me into doing, Darcy mentally added with an audible sigh. “Well, if you say it isn’t much, I’m going to hold you to those standards.” She shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet and looked up at Coulson. “Permission to leave?” She felt like that was the thing to ask.  
  
“I’m not your handler,” Coulson said, placing the clipboard down and picking up the files. “But, yes. Permission to leave granted.”  
  
Darcy awkwardly saluted to him and left. She mentally berated herself for that stupid gesture. Slowly, she made her way back to Jane’s lab where the woman was busy typing away on the oversized computer.  
  
“He got it,” she said softly, running her hand through her hair.  
  
“How long?” Jane asked, her fingers not skipping a key. Darcy couldn’t even begin to understand the mumbo-jumbo on the screen.  
  
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t think to ask,” she said, leaning against the counter. “Need me for anything else, boss?”  
  
“Nope. Just be by at nine o’clock tomorrow and we’ll get started. Hopefully I’ll have the network set up with JARVIS’s help.”  
  
Darcy nodded. “Okay, goodnight,” she added, making a mental note to check on her after the movie with Steve.  
  
* * * * *  
  
“Are you alright, Darcy?” Steve was already waiting for her in the entertainment room, and she immediately picked up on how uncomfortable he looked at the moment. “You look...tired.”  
  
Maybe it was the fact that they had spent some time together when Darcy was making cupcakes, or the fact that she was honestly 1000-percent done at that moment, she crashed down onto the couch next to him and said, “I am tired. I think I’ve collectively gotten eight hours of sleep since moving in here. I’ve gotten more sleep during college.”  
  
“Is Doctor Foster overworking you?” Steve asked, the concern heavily evident in his voice. “I know her work is important, but it’s not worth killing yourselves over.”  
  
“Relax, Big Guy. It’s not just Jane. It’s collectively...everyone, really.” She sighed, picking up the remote and turning on the television. It was huge, at least two Darcy’s tall and three Darcy’s wide. Immediately upon the screen brightening, the cheesy start menu for Star Trek The Movie was up. “But, less talky about the lowly assistant’s problems and more watchy the single most boring movie in the Star Trek series but so vital if you want to fully grasp just how CGI worked in the seventies compared to today. I will be testing you. I also recommend you watch the original television series of this. Some of it is bad, but then you get gems like “The Naked Time” and it’s worth it.”  
  
Steve could only blink at Darcy. “Can you run that one by me again. I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp on modern lingo, but I think I have a better chance of understanding Mister Stark and Doctor Banner when they are discussing science.”  
  
Darcy sighed, rubbing her temples. “Okay, well. Just sit back and enjoy it. I’m sorry if it’s really slow and boring. The producers made the mistake of letting Gene Roddenbury pretty much do this whole thing except act in it, so it’s very slow and drawn out but still better than the prequels to Star Wars.”  
  
“Still don’t understand, but, alright.” Darcy pressed play and they both relaxed into the couch as the opening title sequence started to play along with the familiar theme. She was asleep before the opening credits were done playing. She woke up to silence and a blanket draped over her shoulders. She sat up and felt something thick fall off. She fumbled to pick it up and asked JARVIS to turn on the lights for her. After cringing and groaning, she read the letter that was on Stark stationary:  
  
Darcy--I didn’t want to wake you because you seemed so peaceful. I’m sorry you’re being overwork and you really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I can work on the pop culture aspect of things once I’m caught up on the history and politics. But, thank you. It was a good movie, and I’ll be sure to watch more when I have a chance. Sleep tight. -Steve  
  
“Fuck!” Darcy shouted, throwing her head into her hands. She was honestly looking forward to spending these evenings with Steve. Sure, she didn’t like getting forced into them, but that would mean she could hang out with him without seeming clinging and desperate. With an annoyed huff, she shut everything off and headed to Jane’s lab. She dragged the astrophysicist out and towards their suite. She made sure Jane was safe and sound in bed before crashing into her own, hating herself even more now.  
  
* * * * *  
  
This time, Darcy didn’t wake to JARVIS’s not-so soothing voice. No, this time, she was woken up by someone shining a light in her eye.  
  
“What the hell?” she demanded, sluggishly pushing away from the perpetrator. “You better get out now! I have a taser!”  
  
“Relax.” The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She squinted her eye, trying to push past the black dots dancing in her eyes and the blurriness in her vision. She could make out the rough outline of a man with dark, curly hair that was slightly small in stature, but still bigger than Darcy (not that it took much). “It’s me. Bruce Banner…”  
  
Darcy rubbed her eyes, reaching over to grab her glasses. She slipped them on and everything became clearer. It was indeed Dr. Banner sitting on the edge of her bed, his wizened face full of concern.  
  
“Well, okay, let me rephrase that question,” Darcy said, slightly annoyed. “Why are you in my room and shining a light in my eye?”  
  
Dr. Banner cleared his throat. “Well, JARVIS tried to wake you up...but he couldn’t. Since he hasn’t known you long enough to get a grasp on how your vitals naturally are, he decided to send me up to check on you make sure everything was alright.”  
  
Darcy blinked. She blinked some more. “So, wait, I don’t wake up right away...and he calls a doctor.” She looked up at the ceiling even though she knew in the back of her mind she didn’t need to. “Are you kidding me? I slept for over sixteen hours before and my grandma didn’t even bat an eyelash.”  
  
*My apologies, Miss Lewis,* the AI said simply. *But, with all the work you have been doing and the fact you have not been getting close to the recommended eight hours of sleep a night that the average human needs, I just thought it would be best if someone checked on you.*  
  
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Darcy grumbled, laying back into the pillows.  
  
“I might add that I had been here for a good half-hour before you even started to wake up,” Dr. Banner said, his voice full of concern. “I would recommend that you end at a decent time tonight instead of these late nights. You have a worse schedule than Tony right now.”  
  
“He’s got a Pepper to keep him in line,” Darcy pointed out, forcing herself to sit up. “I just need to get used to this new schedule is all. Thanks for the concern, but I think I can handle it. So...can you go now? I don’t have a bra on, and I need to get ready for work.”  
  
* * * * *  
  
“I said nine o’clock,” Jane said as Darcy walked into the lab at nine-fifteen...ish. It might have been closer to nine-thirty, but she wasn’t paying attention. She might have fallen back to sleep for five minutes after Dr. Banner left.  
  
“Sorry, I was caught up in red tape. What are we doing today?” She noticed how Jane looked as tired as she felt, but she continued to type away at the computer and she seemed to be buzzing with some sort of energy that scientists obtain from the science-y things they work with. At least, that was Darcy’s only explanation of it.  
  
“I’m just about hooked up to the network, and then I can get started on getting machines set up. For now, I want you to take all the handwritten notes I have from New Mexico and put them into the computer. I guess we’re going all electronic now, but Mr. Stark has guaranteed the safety.” She pointed to the stack of far from organized notebooks, sticky notes, and the occasional napkin.  
  
“I’ll get right on it,” Darcy promised, feeling her heart sink to her stomach.  
  
“Oh, and Captain Rogers stopped by,” Jane said as an afterthought, causing Darcy’s heart to stop all together. “He just wanted to make sure you were alright. I just said you seemed fine.”  
  
Darcy really wasn’t sure how she should have felt about the fact that Captain freaking America decided to check up on her. All because of...what? Falling asleep during a movie? Then again, this was Captain freaking America they were talking about. He probably worried about everyone and wanted to make sure it was alright, even if it was the smallest of things.  
  
She was nothing special. She’s just a stupid lab assistant, after all.


End file.
